Passengers rescued from Universal Studios roller coaster

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida firefighters plucked 12 people to safety on Wednesday after they got stuck on a towering roller coaster that malfunctioned at the Universal theme park in Orlando, authorities said.

District Chief Jeff Jay of the Orlando Fire Department said the dozen passengers were stranded for more than two hour aboard the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which is billed as Orlando’s tallest roller coaster.

“It failed at the highest part of the ride,” Jay said. “The occupants were in a vertical position, facing up in the sky when it stopped.”

The Rip Ride Rockit stands 17 stories tall and can reach speeds as high as 65 miles per hour.

Jay said one passenger was taken to a local hospital due to minor injuries, but the others were all safe and accounted for.

The roller coaster, which opened in 2009, was shuttered for two days in August after a rider suffered minor injuries when the car she was riding in suddenly stopped.

A spokesman for the theme park could not be reached for comment on the latest mishap.